Oliver (1968) (1 Viewer)

[Richard Gallagher]

For the naysayers: this was a hugely popular hit movie in its day. Maltin's rating (if you mostly tend to agree with him) gives it *** 1/2. God, even Pauline Kael loved it . It has not dated, as it was a period film to start with. What's not to like about this film?

Then came the eventual laser disc and DVD releases, and disappointment set in big-time. The PQ and sound were merely mediocre.

Now comes news of the TT release. I couldn't be happier. Thank you Sony, thank you TT (I know it will look stellar!).

Roger Ebert gave it four stars.

Oliver! Review by Roger Ebert

 

[CULTMAN1]

Oliver! gets a blu ray release in the UK around October 21st.
I do hope Columbia do a good job on this landmark musical.
I assume Twlight Time will be releasing around the same time in the USA......
Will this come from a 70mm source or was Oliver! blown up for 70mm ,cant remember....

 

[Noach Kowalski]

Oliver! gets a blu ray release in the UK around October 21st.

Link?

 

[Rob_Ray]

Oliver! gets a blu ray release in the UK around October 21st.
I do hope Columbia do a good job on this landmark musical.
I assume Twlight Time will be releasing around the same time in the USA......
Will this come from a 70mm source or was Oliver! blown up for 70mm ,cant remember....

Oliver was a blow-up from Panavision.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

And that's perfectly fine. I'm just talking in generalities and not on behalf of every specific person's tastes. Truth is that Oliver! is usually on many of those "Worst Best Picture Winners" lists next to The Greatest Show on Earth and Cimarron.

On another board, I ran a series of polls meant to pick the worst BP winner - "Oliver!" made the final nine. (We eliminated five in that round - it didn't go to the final four.)

In my poll, the final was between "Crash" and "Broadway Melody", with a "win: for "Crash".

Which in my mind means that "Broadway Melody" is probably the choice as worst of all. It's gonna get fewer votes than "Crash" because so many fewer people today have seen it - but it STILL almost "won" the poll!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

The Greatest Show On Earth is good colourful fun (I'd buy a Blu in a shot), but a candidate for best film; I don't think so.

It's an attractively-shot film, but that's about all I can say good for it:

http://www.dvdmg.com/greatestshowonearth.shtml

 

[Yorkshire]

Oliver! gets a blu ray release in the UK around October 21st.

In the UK the DVD was released by Sony. It'll certainly be interesting to see the details here. Does the UK version look the same as the US one? Is it region locked? Etc.

Steve W

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Sony IS Columbia.

 

[Lromero1396]

I simply feel that NO Best Picture should be at risk of being OOP immediately. (or even after a couple of months).

There is no rational business case for Limited Editions. Small initial pressings, sure. But any business plan that has built-in un-met demand is a bad plan. Because of Sony's marketing division's prowess and decision-making, Christine is NOT available on Blu-Ray, Night Of The Living Dead is NOT available on Blu-Ray, Fright Night is NOT available on Blu-Ray.

I don't think this should ever be part of the conversation for a Best Picture Winner (regardless of how poorly some list-maker feels). And over the past few days I've looked at some of these lists and the films that are lumped in with Oliver at the 'bottom' - How Green Was My Valley, The Sound Of Music, Titanic, Rocky, Forrest Gump, and Gigi.

David

How could one place How Green Was My Valley on the worst Best Picture winners list? Just because it beat Citizen Kane? Of course not! Titanic, Gigi, Oliver, and Around the World in 80 Days are among the most undeserving winners which I have seen.

Edit: I haven't seen any of the winners Pre-1933, so ones like Broadway Melody and Cimarron could be on my list when I get around to seeing them.

 

[Matt Hough]

Film historian Richard Barrios gives a superb defense of Broadway Melody (the first sound film to win Best Picture) as a worthy Best Picture winner in his fantastic and fascinating book A Song in the Dark.

 

[john a hunter]

Film historian Richard Barrios gives a superb defense of Broadway Melody (the first sound film to win Best Picture) as a worthy Best Picture winner in his fantastic and fascinating book A Song in the Dark.

Given his totally incompetent commentary track on South Pacific, I am pleased to note he has managed to do something properly.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Film historian Richard Barrios gives a superb defense of Broadway Melody (the first sound film to win Best Picture) as a worthy Best Picture winner in his fantastic and fascinating book A Song in the Dark.

He can defend it all he wants - it's still a terrible movie!

 

[Yorkshire]

Sony IS Columbia.

Yes, I know. I wasn't disputing that - I was wondering about how the Sony/Columbia (UK) release would look compared top the TT (US) release.

Steve W

 

[lukejosephchung]

Yes, I know. I wasn't disputing that - I was wondering about how the Sony/Columbia (UK) release would look compared top the TT (US) release.

Steve W

It's likely that both releases will feature the same 4k restoration/transfer from Grover Crisp...Sony doesn't do anything half-assed with their catalog crown jewels...

 

[David Weicker]

I'm not sure that Sony/Columbia view this as one of their 'catalog crown jewels'. If they did, you would think they would release it themselves instead of licensing it out.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I'm not sure that Sony/Columbia view this as one of their 'catalog crown jewels'. If they did, you would think they would release it themselves instead of licensing it out.

It's Sony's video marketing department that's clueless. The folks in asset protection certainly regard this as a "crown jewel".

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Oliver is the one film that I attempted to watch several times
over since it was first released on Laserdisc. Each time I would
get to a certain point in the film and just find myself.....bored.

No joke...last year I challenged myself to watch the film in its
entirety. I locked myself in my home theater, put in the DVD and
actually forced myself to watch the entire film.

In the end...it wasn't as bad as I had remembered it to be, but
it definitely still felt like a bit of a struggle to sit through it all. I think
the first part of the film is pretty good, but once Oliver Reed becomes
the focal point in the second half, it just falls apart for me.

 

[lukejosephchung]

Oliver is the one film that I attempted to watch several times
over since it was first released on Laserdisc. Each time I would
get to a certain point in the film and just find myself.....bored.

No joke...last year I challenged myself to watch the film in its
entirety. I locked myself in my home theater, put in the DVD and
actually forced myself to watch the entire film.

In the end...it wasn't as bad as I had remembered it to be, but
it definitely still felt like a bit of a struggle to sit through it all. I think
the first part of the film is pretty good, but once Oliver Reed becomes
the focal point in the second half, it just falls apart for me.

It takes a particular frame of mind to watch this movie...remember that it's literally a Dickens novel set to music!!! Definitely an acquired taste like the Albert Finney musical movie "Scrooge", which is an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol"...all of his books that have been adapted to film are challenges to both the mind and the heart...some make the transition more successfully than others!!!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

It takes a particular frame of mind to watch this movie...remember that it's literally a Dickens novel set to music!!! Definitely an acquired taste like the Albert Finney musical movie "Scrooge", which is an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol"...all of his books that have been adapted to film are challenges to both the mind and the heart...some make the transition more successfully than others!!!

I can enjoy Muppets singing songs in an adapted Dickens work, so it's not the notion of Dickens made into musicals that's the issue for me. The issue is that "Oliver!" is overly long and goopy!

 

[Jefferson]

As I have stated before, I adore this movie, and am looking forward to the release. I see from perusing the thread that people have very strong feelings about the film, but nobody is on the fence. Well, to each his own. (I am the one person alive who has no desire to watch Star Wars, so.....)